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Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air. Inspired by the Folies Bergères of Paris, the Ziegfeld Follies were conceived and mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld, reportedly at the suggestion of his then-wife, the entertainer Anna Held. The shows' producers were turn-of-the-twentieth-century producing titans Klaw & Erlanger. History The Follies were lavish revues, something between later Broadway shows and a more elaborate high class Vaudeville variety show. Many of the top entertainers of the era (including W.C. Fields, Eddie Cantor, Josephine Baker, Fanny Brice, Ann Pennington, Bert Williams, Bob Hope, Will Rogers, Ruth Etting, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan, Louise Brooks, Marilyn Miller, Ed Wynn, Gilda Gray, Nora Bayes, Sophie Tucker, and others) appeared in the shows."Flo Ziegfeld-Billie Burke Papers" nypl.org, accessed December 3, 2011 The Ziegfeld Follies were also famous for many beautiful chorus girls commonly known as Ziegfeld girls,"Ziegfeld Biography" pbs.org, accessed December 3, 2011 usually wearing elaborate costumes by designers such as Erté, Lady Duff Gordon or Ben Ali Haggin. The first Follies was produced in 1907 at the roof theatre Jardin de Paris."Follies of 1907"The New York Times, July 9, 1907 The Ziegfeld girls "paraded up and down flights of stairs as anything from birds to battleships." The "Tableau vivants" were designed by Ben Ali Haggin from 1917 to 1925. Joseph Urban was the scenic designer for the Follies shows starting in 1915.Green, Stanley."Ziegfeld"Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre (1980), Da Capo Press, ISBN 0-306-80113-2, pp.462-465 After Ziegfeld's death, his widow Billie Burke authorized use of his name for Ziegfeld Follies in 1934 and 1936 to Jake Shubert, who then produced the Follies.Bloom, Ken."Winter Garden Theatre"The Routledge guide to Broadway (2007), CRC Press, ISBN 0-415-97380-5, p. 273 The name was later used by other promoters in New York City, Philadelphia and again on Broadway, with less connection to the original Follies. These latter efforts failed miserably. When later it toured, the 1934 edition was recorded in its entirety, from the Overture to Play-out music, on a series of 78 rpm discs, which were edited by the record producer David Cunard to form an album of the highlights of the production and which was released as a Compact Disc in 1997. Film The 1936 Best Picture winner was M-G-M's The Great Ziegfeld, starring William Powell as the master showman and co-starring Myrna Loy (as Ziegfeld's second wife Billie Burke), Luise Rainer (as Anna Held, which won her an Academy Award for Best Actress), and Frank Morgan. Featuring numbers by Ray Bolger, Dennis Morgan, Virginia Bruce, and Harriet Hoctor, the film gave a glimpse into what the Follies were really like. The MGM blockbuster's show-stopper was "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody", which, by itself, cost more to produce than one of Ziegfeld's whole shows. In 1941 M-G-M released Ziegfeld Girl, starring Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, James Stewart and Tony Martin which was set in the 1920s. Although the word "Follies" was never used during the film, celebrated numbers from Ziegfeld Revues were recreated, including the famed "Wedding Cake" set which had been used for Metro's earlier film, The Great Ziegfeld. Charles Winninger, who performed in the Follies of 1920, appeared as "Ed Gallagher" with Gallagher's real-life partner, Al Shean to recreate the duo's famous song "Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean," originally part of the Follies of 1922. According to modern sources, Lana Turner's character was modeled after Ziegfeld Girl Lillian Lorraine who had a drunken fall into the orchestra pit during an extravagant number.Source: AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1941-1950. Entry for The Ziegfeld Girl. http://afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=27082 In 1946 M-G-M released a third feature motion picture on Ziegfeld's shows entitled Ziegfeld Follies with Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, William Powell, Gene Kelly, Fanny Brice, Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Cyd Charisse, Lucille Ball, Kathryn Grayson, and others performing songs and sketches similar to those from the original Follies. Brice appeared in the Follies for more than ten years and the 1968 Columbia release Funny Girl, which starred Barbra Streisand as Brice and Walter Pidgeon as Florenz Ziegfeld, depicts Brice's success with the Follies. The Follies *''Follies of 1907'' at the Jardin de Paris *''Follies of 1908'' at the Jardin de Paris *''Follies of 1909'' at the Jardin de Paris *''Follies of 1910'' at the Jardin de Paris *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1911'' at the Jardin de Paris *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1912'' at the Moulin Rouge (New York) *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920'' at the New Amsterdam Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1921'' at the Globe Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927'' at the New Amsterdam Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1931'' at the Ziegfeld Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1934'' at the Winter Garden Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1936'' at the Winter Garden Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1943'' at the Winter Garden Theatre *''Ziegfeld Follies of 1957'' at the Winter Garden Theatre Performers: year-by-year ;1907 *Nora Bayes (joined the cast later in run) *Helen Broderick *Emma Carus *Mlle. Dazie *Grace Larue *Edna Luby *Harry Watson, Jr. ;1908 *Nora Bayes *Mlle. Dazie *Grace Larue *Harry Watson, Jr. *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Mae Murray) ;1909 *Nora Bayes *Bessie Clayton *Lillian Lorraine *Jack Norworth *Eva Tanguay (joined cast in mid-run) *Sophie Tucker *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1910 *Fanny Brice *Anna Held (in a filmed sequence) *Lillian Lorraine *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1911 *Fanny Brice *Bert Williams *The Dolly Sisters *Leon Errol *Lillian Lorraine *Vera Maxwell *Bessie McCoy *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1912 *Elizabeth Brice *Leon Errol *Lillian Lorraine *Rae Samuels *Harry Watson, Jr. *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1913 *Leon Errol *Jose Collins *Ann Pennington *Frank Tinney *Nat M. Wills *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1914 *Leon Errol *Annette Kellerman *Vera Maxwell *Ann Pennington *Bert Williams *Ed Wynn *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Bessie Love, Eleanor St. Clare, Bettie Touraine and Edith Whitney) ;1915 *Ina Claire *Leon Errol *W.C. Fields *Justine Johnstone *Mae Murray *Ann Pennington *Ed Wynn *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Helen Barnes, Marion Davies, Odette Myrtil and Olive Thomas) ;1916 *Fanny Brice *Ina Claire *W.C. Fields *Allyn King *Bird Millman *Ann Pennington *Will Rogers *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Irene Hayes, Julanne Johnston and Lilyan Tashman) ;1917 *Fanny Brice *Eddie Cantor *Dolores *The Fairbanks Twins *Allyn King *William E. Ritchie *Will Rogers *Lilyan Tashman *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Peggy Hopkins Joyce) ;1918 *Jay Brennan *Eddie Cantor *Frank Carter *The Fairbanks Twins *W.C. Fields *Joe Frisco *Pauline Hall *Kay Laurell *Lillian Lorraine *Allyn King *Marilyn Miller *Ann Pennington *Bert Savoy *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Doris Eaton and Nita Naldi) ;1919 *Eddie Cantor *Johnny and Ray Dooley *Eddie Dowling *The Fairbanks Twins *Allyn King *Marilyn Miller *Van and Schenck *John Steel *Bert Williams *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Billie Dove and Mary Hay) ;1920 *Fanny Brice *Jack Donahue *Ray Dooley *Mary Eaton *W.C. Fields *Bernard Granville *Art Hickman's Orchestra *Allyn King *Moran and Mack *Van and Schenck *Charles Winninger *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1921 *Fanny Brice *Mary Eaton *W.C. Fields *Raymond Hitchcock *Van and Schenck *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Anastasia Reilly) ;1922 *Mary Eaton *Gallagher and Shean *Gilda Gray *Nervo and Knox *Olsen and Johnson *Will Rogers *Jack Whiting *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Barbara Stanwyck and Geneva Mitchell) ;1923 *Fanny Brice *James J. Corbett *Ann Pennington *Bert & Betty Wheeler *Paul Whiteman *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Lina Basquette and Dolores Costello) ;1924–25 *Billie Burke *Ray Dooley (joined the cast later in run) *W.C. Fields (joined the cast later in run) *Lupino Lane *Ann Pennington *Will Rogers *Vivienne Segal *Ethel Shutta *Frank Tinney *Dorothy Wegman *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Louise Brooks, Claire Dodd and Dorothy Sebastian) ;1927 *Eddie Cantor *Cliff Edwards *Ruth Etting *Frances Upton *The Brox Sisters *Claire Luce *Dorothy Wegman *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Joan Blondell and Paulette Goddard) ;1931 *Faith Bacon *Virginia Biddle *Buck & Bubbles *Albert Carroll *Dorothy Dell *Ruth Etting *Helen Morgan *Agatha Hoff *Hal Le Roy *Mitzi Mayfair *Ernest McChesney *Jack Pearl *Harry Richman *The Ziegfeld Girls (including Iris Adrian) ;1934 *Eve Arden *Fanny Brice *Robert Cummings *Buddy and Vilma Ebsen *Jane Froman *Agatha Hoff *Willie and Eugene Howard *Everett Marshall *June and Cherry Preisser *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1936 *Eve Arden *Fanny Brice *Josephine Baker *Judy Canova *Bobby Clark (replacement) *George Church *Cass Daley (replacement) *Harriet Hoctor *Bob Hope *Gypsy Rose Lee (replacement) *The Nicholas Brothers *Gertrude Niesen *June and Cherry Preisser *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1943 *Bil and Cora Baird *Milton Berle *Eric Blore (replacement) *Jack Carter (replacement) *Jack Cole *Howard Jackson *Ilona Massey *Dean Murphy *Arthur Treacher *Tommy Wonder *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1956 (Boston) *Bea Arthur *Tallulah Bankhead *Carol Haney *Julie Newmar *The Ziegfeld Girls ;1957 *Billy DeWolfe *Harold Lang *Carol Lawrence *Beatrice Lillie *Jane Morgan *The Ziegfeld Girls Ziegfeld Girls Shine on Harvest Moon 1.jpeg|Ruth Etting of the Ziegfeld Follies File:Muriel Finlay, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1928.jpg|Muriel Finlay, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1928 File:Doris Eaton Travis as Ziegfeld Girl.jpg|A photograph of Doris Eaton Travis (1904-2010) in about 1920, during the Ziegfeld Follies years. File:Flickr - …trialsanderrors - Marion Davies, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, 1924.jpg| Marion Davies, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, 1924 File:Flickr - …trialsanderrors - Kay English, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1929.jpg File:FannybriceGlamor.jpg|Fanny Brice, Ziegfeld Follies photo, 1910s or start of 1920s File:Shannon Day - Oct 1921 Photoplay.jpg|Shannon Day File:Maryeaton.jpg|Mary Eaton File:Billydove.jpg|Billy Dove File:PalmerFurs1918BloomCrop.jpg|Dancer Bee Palmer in fur File:Talullah Bankhead London 1923.jpg|Talullah Bankhead File:Barbara Stanwyck, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1924.jpg|Barbara Stanwyck File:Dolores Costello, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1923.jpg|Dolores Costello Talullah Bankhead London 1923.jpg Maryeaton.jpg Ziegfeld1919 TulipTime sheetmusic.png Shine on Harvest Moon 1.jpeg.jpeg Shannon Day - Oct 1921 Photoplay.jpg PalmerFurs1918BloomCrop.jpg Mlle Dazie 001.jpg Flickr - …trialsanderrors - Marion Davies, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, 1924.jpg Flickr - …trialsanderrors - Kay English, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1929.jpg Doris Eaton Travis as Ziegfeld Girl.jpg Dolores Costello, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1923.jpg Billydove.jpg Barbara Stanwyck, Ziegfeld girl, by Alfred Cheney Johnston, ca. 1924.jpg AnnaHeld.jpg Anna Held I.png See also *Academy of Music/Riviera Theatre *Encores! *Esther's Follies *The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies *Alfred Cheney Johnston *The Passing Show *Joseph Urban *Ziegfeld Theatre References External links * Ziegfeld on Musicals101.com * Ziegfeld Follies at Internet Broadway Database Category:Dance companies in the United States Category:Dance in New York City Category:1907 musicals Category:Broadway musicals Category:Ziegfeld Follies